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EI - Fishers. Tasaka v. Canada (Attorney General)
In Tasaka v. Canada (Attorney General) (Fed CA, 2025) the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed a JR, here against "a decision of the Social Security Tribunal of Canada (Appeal Division) finding that he did not qualify for employment insurance fishing benefits".
Here the court reviews EI law applicable to fishers:I. Legislative Background
[2] Part I of the Employment Insurance Act, S.C. 1996, c. 23 establishes a scheme pursuant to which eligible unemployed persons may obtain income support, known as employment insurance benefits. Section 153 of the Employment Insurance Act allows for the making of regulations establishing a scheme of employment insurance for self-employed persons engaged in fishing that differs from the scheme established in the Employment Insurance Act for other employees. The resulting regulations—the Employment Insurance (Fishing) Regulations, SOR/96-445 (the Fishing Regulations)—provide a framework for determining when a fisher qualifies for employment insurance benefits (EI Fishing Benefits) and the rate of those benefits.
[3] To qualify for EI Fishing Benefits under the Fishing Regulations, a fisher must prove that (a) they do not qualify for regular benefits and (b) they have accumulated, since the beginning of the qualifying period, the minimum amount of insurable earnings from fishing employment set out in the schedule: subsection 8(2). In the present case, this amount is $2,500. The "“qualifying period”" during which the earnings must be accumulated is the 31-week period before the fisher applied for EI Fishing Benefits: subsection 8(4). If a fisher proves the two aforementioned elements, a "“benefit period”" will be established (subsection 8(1)) and the fisher will receive EI Fishing Benefits during that period. The fisher’s rate of weekly benefits will be based on their earnings as a fisher during the qualifying period and the regional rate of unemployment: section 8.1.
[4] In 2020, the Employment Insurance Act was amended for the stated purpose of mitigating the economic effects of COVID-19: Interim Order No. 10 Amending the Employment Insurance Act (Employment Insurance Emergency Response Benefit), Canada Gazette, Part II, Vol. 154, No. 21, S.O.R./2020-208. The amendments included four new provisions that concern EI Fishing Benefits: sections 153.1922 to 153.1925.
[5] Section 153.1922 reads:153.1922 A fisher who does not meet the conditions under paragraph 8(2)(b) of the [Fishing Regulations] may receive benefits under section 8.1 of those Regulations if the fisher has received such benefits during any of the periods referred to in subparagraphs 153.1923(1)(a)(ii) or (iii) ...
153.1922 Le pêcheur qui ne remplit pas les conditions prévues aux alinéas 8(2)b) ou (7)b) du Règlement sur l’assurance-emploi (pêche) peut recevoir les prestations prévues à l’article 8.1 de ce règlement si, pendant toute période visée aux sous-alinéas 153.1923(1)a)(ii) ou (iii) [...] [6] Paragraph 153.1923(1)(a) reads:153.1923 (1) The rate of weekly benefits under section 8.1 of the [Fishing Regulations] shall be calculated using the highest of the following earnings:
153.1923 (1) Le taux des prestations hebdomadaires prévu à l’article 8.1 du Règlement sur l’assurance-emploi (pêche) est calculé à partir de la rémunération la plus élevée suivante :
(a) in the case of an initial claim for benefits under subsection 8(1) of those Regulations,
(a) s’agissant d’une demande initiale de prestations visée au paragraphe 8(1) de ce règlement :
(i) if applicable, the earnings that would be used to calculate the fisher’s rate of weekly benefits,
(i) s’il y a lieu, la rémunération qui serait utilisée pour calculer le taux des prestations hebdomadaires du pêcheur,
(ii) the earnings that were used to calculate the fisher’s rate of weekly benefits for the benefit period that was established for the fisher under subsection 8(1) of those Regulations during the period beginning on September 29, 2019 and ending on June 20, 2020, and
(ii) la rémunération qui a été utilisée pour calculer le taux des prestations hebdomadaires du pêcheur pour la période de prestations qui, en application du paragraphe 8(1) de ce règlement, a été établie en sa faveur pendant la période commençant le 29 septembre 2019 et se terminant le 20 juin 2020,
(iii) the earnings that were used to calculate the fisher’s rate of weekly benefits for the benefit period that was established for the fisher under subsection 8(1) of those Regulations during the period beginning on September 30, 2018 and ending on June 15, 2019; and
(iii) la rémunération qui a été utilisée pour calculer le taux des prestations hebdomadaires du pêcheur pour la période de prestations qui, en application du paragraphe 8(1) de ce règlement, a été établie en sa faveur pendant la période commençant le 30 septembre 2018 et se terminant le 15 juin 2019;
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[…] [7] The provision in issue in this appeal is subsection 153.1923(2). Mr. Tasaka refers to it as the "“One-Time Only Rule”". It reads:"153.1923 (2) A fisher may have a benefit period established once under paragraph (1)(a) …"
"153.1923 (2)"" Une période de prestations peut être établie en faveur du pêcheur une fois au titre de l’alinéa (1)a) […]" [8] Finally, section 153.1924 provides:153.1924 For the purposes of the [Fishing Regulations] the earnings determined under subsection 153.1923(1) are the insurable earnings for the qualifying period.
153.1924 Pour l’application du Règlement sur l’assurance-emploi (pêche), la rémunération retenue au titre du paragraphe 153.1923(1) est la rémunération assurable pour la période de référence.
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